(LAREDO, Texas) – An Austin man convicted by his plea of guilty for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine has been sentenced to prison, Acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today.

Gerardo Segovia, 30,of Austin, Texas, was convicted in January 2008 after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 129 kilograms of cocaine. On Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, United States District Court Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Segovia to 22 years in federal prison based upon the amount of the cocaine he was held criminally responsible for possessing and his criminal history.

Segovia was arrested on Oct. 9, 2007, in Garland, Texas, following the issuance of a federal warrant. The warrant issued as a result of an incident which occurred on Aug. 23, 2007, in Dallas, Texas, during which undercover agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made a controlled delivery of a truck containing cocaine to Segovia. The 129-kilogram cocaine load, bound for Dallas and delivery to Segovia, had been seized by DEA agents on Aug. 21, 2007, in Laredo, Texas. Undercover DEA agents communicated with Segovia and arranged to deliver the cocaine to Segovia in Dallas. As undercover agents arrived in the Dallas area with the cocaine loaded in a truck, they made contact with and identified Segovia as he led them to a warehouse in Dallas. Once Segovia took possession of the truck containing the cocaine, agents moved in to make the arrest but Segovia fled. He was, however, charged, located and arrested in October 2007.

Segovia has been in federal custody without bond since his arrest and will remain in custody to serve his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by special agents of the DEA, the United States Marshal Service and officers of the Dallas Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roberto F. Ramirez.